Nightmares And Dreams
by btamamura
Summary: Yasuaki has had a horrible nightmare of the horrific demise of his friends...no, it's a premonition! Will Eisen be able to comfort him this time? Shounen-ai Yasuaki x Eisen


**Nightmares And Dreams**

_**Disclaimer: **__I do NOT own Harukanaru Toki no Naka de or its characters. They are property of Tooko Mizuno and Koei. If they were mine, I'd have Yasuaki and Eisen fall in love with each other._

"_Miko!" Yasuaki screamed as he ran to her, but it was all for naught, the arrow pierced her through the heart. He turned to the one who had fired it, it was one of the royal guards. _

_Tenma clenched his fists. "Bastard! How could you?!"_

_Eisen had tears flowing from his eyes. He turned to the guards. "Mikado-sama trusted you to protect Miko. How could you have done this?"_

_All of the Hachiyo were filled with grief of the same level, they just expressed it differently. Shimon, Eisen and Inori were more emotional while the others were steamed. The time for tears was later. Now was the time to avenge their fallen friend._

_The guard laughed harshly. He suddenly started to shift, his body changing shape as he stood there. It wasn't one of the guards after all, it was an onryou. "Now you are all helpless without the Ryuujin no Miko!"_

_Tenma, Yorihisa and Tomomasa drew their swords, Takamichi drew his tanto, Yasuaki held an ofuda, Eisen was ready to play his flute to strengthen Yasuaki's spiritual energy, Inori and Shimon were ready to call upon the last of their power, in order to avenge Akane they would use whatever they had to defeat the one who'd killed her._

_Everyone charged at once, but things became even more tedious as the onryou wasn't alone. The other men with him were also onryou and they all took on the Hachiyo one by one._

_The Hachiyo found the situation tough and even Tomomasa and Yorihisa were struggling. Yasuaki tried to put up barriers to protect those that were weakening in strength, but the onryou all managed to break through. Inori and Shimon were the first to be taken down. Then Yorihisa and Takamichi. Tenma tried to avenge them, but he too was taken down. Tomomasa put up a good fight, but one onryou managed to strike him in the back, the sword piercing all the way through him._

_It was just Eisen and Yasuaki left, but Eisen was struggling to continue playing his flute as tears fell from his eyes at the cries of all of his friends falling for the last time. He dropped his flute and went to run to Tomomasa to try to aid him. The older man had watched over him for years, he was a trusted friend of the family, he couldn't leave him alone._

_The onryou saw this. Five of them lunged at Eisen at the same time, but the monk was too caught up in his grief to notice. Yasuaki was holding off ten others so he couldn't turn to assist his partner and beloved one. He heard Eisen let out a loud cry and gasp before a thud sounded. Yasuaki called upon his strongest power and vanquished all of the onryou. He turned and hurried to Eisen's body. "Eisen! Eisen!!" He knelt beside him and sat him up slightly so the monk's head was resting on his lap. "Eisen, wake up!"_

_Eisen very weakly opened his eyes slightly. "Yasuaki…you're alright…yokatta…"_

"_Eisen…" There was not much else that could escape from the onmyouji's mouth except his lover's name and the sobs that filled the air. He leaned down and kissed Eisen one last time before he heard the monk's breath become silent, his body had stilled. Just like all of his friends and comrades, he was dead. Yasuaki clung to his partner tightly, his wails filling the night air, tears streaming down his cheeks in little rivers. "EISEN!!!!"_

Eisen jumped as he heard his name being called out. He turned to his partner and saw him in a very heartbreaking situation. Tears were streaming down the onmyouji's cheeks and he appeared to be clutching something or someone. "Yasuaki…wake up…" he whispered urgently as he shook the onmyouji's shoulder.

Yasuaki's eyes shot open as he heard that voice, the one he never thought he'd hear again. He turned to the owner of that voice and saw Eisen's concern-filled amethyst eyes. He sat up and quickly ran his hands over Eisen's face. "Y-you're alive…I thought that…you're alive…yokatta…"

"Yasuaki, what happened?" When he heard the supposedly older onmyouji crying, he quickly drew him into an embrace. He ran his hands over his back.

"Everyone left…first Miko, then the others, and then you. You were all killed by onryou, they were too strong for us. I defeated them, but it was too late, you were all gone…" He clung onto Eisen tightly, he was just glad Eisen was alive.

Eisen realised what was wrong. "Yasuaki, it was just a nightmare. Everyone is alright, nobody has been killed. Miko is safe, she's with Shimon-dono and Fujihime.

Tenma-dono is watching over them, as is Yorihisa. Inori-dono is home with his sister, Tomomasa-dono and Takamichi-dono are at Tomomasa-dono's residence and I am here with you."

Yasuaki looked up at him, the fear in his eyes made him appear like his true age, he appeared like an innocent, lost child. "R-really?"

Eisen nodded, smiling reassuringly. He used his thumb to wipe away Yasuaki's tears. "As long as we all stand together, no onryou will ever defeat us. We might get injured, that's to be expected in battle, but none of us will let them kill us. Okay?"

Yasuaki nodded. He felt Eisen start to release him and he clung to him. "Don't let me go? Please, please hold me…"

Eisen nodded. The nightmare must've really shaken his lover up if he was acting like this. He held onto his lover and stroked his unbound hair. He whispered words of reassurance until he was certain Yasuaki had calmed enough. He started to let him go slowly until he heard a little whimper. He resumed holding the stricken onmyouji. He understood that Yasuaki needed to know he was there, he was alive, his nightmare wasn't real. He helped Yasuaki lie down and had to let go for a second so he could lie down without hurting himself. Even in just that second he heard little frightened whimpers sounding from Yasuaki. He hurriedly held him again. "It's alright, Yasuaki. I'm here. We're all okay," he whispered again as he wiped fresh tears from his partner's face. He kissed his forehead. "It was just a nightmare, that's all. Everything will be alright by morning."

"Don't let me go…" Yasuaki replied.

Eisen felt tears forming in his eyes as he heard how lost the onmyouji sounded. 'He sounds like a child afraid of losing their parent…' He moved closer to Yasuaki. "No matter what, I will never leave you alone, Yasuaki. We'll all be here for you…always…" He closed his eyes, the tears falling from them. How could he help Yasuaki understand it was just a nightmare, that it was not real?

The next day, Yasuaki's condition hadn't improved. If Eisen couldn't hold him in an embrace, he had to at least hold his hand. They went to the manor to visit Akane, Shimon and Fujihime and saw a meeting was being held. "What's going on?" Eisen asked. He and Yasuaki both knelt down in the back of the room.

"There have been reports of onryou causing havoc just outside the city," Tomomasa replied.

Eisen noticed Yasuaki was trembling horribly. He turned to him in concern. "Yasuaki?"

"It's real…this is what happened…" Yasuaki whispered.

Eisen embraced him.

"Hey, what's going on?" Tenma asked as everyone else turned to the Hachiyo no Genbu. They saw Eisen hugging a very distraught Yasuaki. He knew that look in Yasuaki's eyes. "What happened?"

Eisen sighed sadly. "Yasuaki had a nightmare last night. And now, the nightmare is repeating itself in reality."

Yasuaki clung to Eisen. "Everyone will die…" he whimpered. He didn't care about what anyone else thought about his vulnerable state at the moment, he was too frightened to care.

Eisen held Yasuaki close and started to rub his back to offer comfort. "Yasuaki's nightmare involved everyone here except himself and Fujihime being killed by onryou disguised as soldiers in the royal army. And now after hearing about the onryou causing trouble…"

Tomomasa nodded in understanding. "You should stay here with Yasuaki-dono,

Eisen-sama." He turned to Akane. "You should stay as well, Akane-dono."

Akane looked defiant. "I can't just wait here while the rest of you fight!"

Eisen turned pleading eyes to Akane. "Please, stay here, Miko. In Yasuaki's nightmare, you were the first to perish. I understand how you feel, I wish to fight as well, I do not wish to hide…but Yasuaki needs me. Even after I reassured him that he'd just had a nightmare, I had to hold him or he would start crying again."

Fujihime stepped closer to the Hachiyo no Genbu. "If it will make you feel better, Yasuaki-dono, I shall use my mirror to see what will happen in this battle. But, I do assure you that nobody shall perish in this battle. Already things are different from your nightmare, Eisen-sama and Miko-sama will not be joining the battle, neither will you."

Yasuaki shook his head. He whimpered helplessly.

The princess knelt in front of Yasuaki and Eisen. "I understand how it feels to have such frightful nightmares that feel so real that it traumatises you. I had those myself when I was much younger, I still have some nightmares these days, but after I see for myself what the future holds, I no longer feel afraid." She got to her feet and turned to the others. "Yorihisa-dono, Tomomasa-dono, please go and investigate, but avoid battling until I have seen what will happen."

The two swordsmen nodded and bowed before they left.

Yasuaki trembled as he saw them leave. He turned to Eisen helplessly.

Fujihime excused herself and went to consult her mirror to tell her what will happen. She had to see what would happen to reassure Yasuaki that nobody would die.

Inori turned to Eisen. "How come…?"

Akane sighed. "I know why. Yasuaki-san was created two years ago, so while he has the physical appearance of somebody of the age of twenty-one years old, the truth is Yasuaki is really two years old. Children, even in adult bodies, find it much harder to deal with nightmares, which is why Yasuaki-san is so vulnerable." She knelt in front of him and Eisen. She stroked his cheek comfortingly. "Everything will be alright,

Yasuaki-san."

Fujihime returned ten minutes later with the mirror. The look on her face spoke volumes. "I am afraid that Yasuaki-san didn't just have a nightmare after all, it was a premonition."

Gasps of shock drowned out the whimpers coming from the frightened onmyouji. "But, Yasuaki-san predicted Eisen-san's death a while back with the cursed kin, and Eisen-san is still here with us now, surely there's a way to change this future!" Shimon exclaimed.

"Yasuaki, we know it's painful, but you need to tell us exactly what happened in your premonition. That way we know what to expect and we can change the future," Tenma stated.

Yasuaki looked up and nodded, the tears still glistening in his eyes. He held Eisen tighter as he began to explain what took place in what was thought to be a nightmare. "We were all on the outskirts of the city, just outside of the gates. We were accompanied by whom we believed to be soldiers of the imperial army, but as one minor onryou attacked, the one we thought was a soldier shot an arrow that pierced Miko's heart." He

bent his head for a minute to compose himself. "The man revealed himself to be an onryou and as we all charged towards him, the rest of the soldiers revealed their true forms. We all fought with what we had, but we were outnumbered. Shimon and Inori were the first to perish, followed by Yorihisa and Takamichi. Then, you were defeated, Tenma, followed by Tomomasa. Eisen ran to Tomomasa to try to offer assistance, but he was taken down by five onryou as I fought ten. After Eisen fell, I defeated the onryou, but it was all for naught." He didn't explain about the last kiss he shared with Eisen, that was personal. The tears from his eyes dripped onto his lap as he felt Eisen tighten his hold on him.

Yorihisa and Tomomasa returned. "There aren't many onryou, maybe one or two, but they look like they could use all of us to take them down. We'll also need help from the imperial army," Tomomasa explained.

"No. Only some of us will go. Akane, Yasuaki, Eisen, Shimon and Inori will stay here. And we will not need the aid of the imperial army," Tenma replied. He reiterated what Yasuaki had explained moments before then added it wasn't a nightmare, it was a premonition.

Yasuaki looked up at them, a tired expression on his face. "Even so, stay on your guard. None of you should have to perish at the hands of the onryou."

The four who would leave nodded. They exchanged a few more words with the others and then left.

"So why is Yasuaki-dono so vulnerable?" Tomomasa asked.

"Miko-dono explained that while Yasuaki-dono appears to be twenty one years of age, the truth is he is only two years old. Even in an adult's body, a child will still be shaken by the worst nightmares, especially

those which turn out to be premonitions in reality," Takamichi explained to his partner.

"How can it be that Yasuaki-dono is only two years of age?"

"He was not born like the rest of us, Yasuaki-dono was created by Abe no Seimei-dono two years ago. That is why in truth he is still a child." He caught a glimpse of something in his partner's eye. "Do not even think about bringing it up in the future, Tomomasa-dono! From what Miko-dono has said, I could tell that it was something that troubles Yasuaki-dono to no end. The only reason Miko-dono brought it up was to explain why Yasuaki-dono was so stricken, she had no other option. However, Yasuaki-dono tries not to bring it up too often except for with Eisen-sama because they are in love. If you should even think about teasing Yasuaki-dono when he is partaking of some sake then I shall never forgive you."

Tomomasa nodded. "Upon my word, I shall never bring it up."

After much persuasion from the others, Yasuaki closed his eyes and fell asleep. The nightmare returned, even if the future had been changed. He whimpered a few times, clung to Eisen and screamed out before his eyes shot open. Tears filled them again and each salty drop fell from his eyes drawing concerned glances.

"Yasuaki-san?" Akane called him in concern.

Yasuaki shook his head. "This time, it really was just a nightmare. Even so, having to repeat that one, having to see everyone I hold dear leave this world, it's too much."

Shimon nodded. "I understand, Yasuaki-san. But, this time it truly is just a nightmare. Because of your premonition, we changed the course of the future. You saved everyone, Yasuaki-san, even if it brought you pain, you saved everyone."

Eisen nodded as he wiped Yasuaki's cheeks. "Shimon-dono is correct, Yasuaki. It is awful that it brought you so much pain, but because of your premonition, we're all going to live through today." He stroked Yasuaki's hair and allowed the onmyouji to rest his head in the crook of his neck. "After Tenma-dono, Yorihisa, Takamichi-dono and Tomomasa-dono return, I am certain you will have peaceful dreams again. And we're all here to make those dreams a reality. Especially me."

None of the others found that statement even the slightest bit selfish, they knew that Yasuaki probably dreams of pleasant and maybe even personal moments with Eisen, so only Eisen could make those dreams become a peaceful reality.

"I will never leave you alone. None of us will. The bond all of us share is much stronger than anything in existence. And until I know that your nightmares have subsided…" he rubbed Yasuaki's back before wrapping both arms around him, "…I promise I won't let you go if you need me to hold you."

Yasuaki nodded. "I understand. Thank you very much, everyone." He smiled very gently and relaxed in Eisen's hold. The grip he had on Eisen loosened. "If I was hurting you, I apologise."

Eisen shook his head. "It's alright, I wasn't harmed. As long you're alright, that's all that matters right now."

Feeling completely relaxed and at ease, Yasuaki decided to give slumber another try.

Tenma wiped his brow. "Is that all of them?"

Tomomasa nodded. "Yes, it is indeed. Yasuaki-dono's premonition really did save us today."

Takamichi nodded, some sorrow filling his eyes. "It's only a shame that he had to be filled with pain for our lives to be saved. We really owe Yasuaki-dono much gratitude."

Tenma nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I still remember that look of fear in his eyes. He seemed so…so lost, you know?"

The rest of the men nodded. They no longer felt any evil auras nearby so they made their way back to the manor to let everyone know that they're safe.

"Ah! They have returned!" Fujihime exclaimed in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, Yasuaki's warning saved us," Tenma replied. He saw Akane put a finger to her lips. "Huh?" That was when he saw the slumbering onmyouji resting against his partner, a peaceful expression on his face. "Oh,

so he's relaxed now?"

"It took a lot of reassurance, but he's alright now," Inori replied.

All of them stood or knelt there smiling for a while, they were glad Yasuaki had calmed.

"Eisen…" Yasuaki murmured, causing everyone to tense and prepare more comforting words. "Eisen…" Wait, the murmurs weren't distressing, they were… "Eisen…I love you, Eisen…"

Tomomasa chuckled to himself while almost everyone else blushed lightly, even Yorihisa.

Eisen blushed furiously as he felt the arms around him tighten and heard his lover's voice. He knew what Yasuaki was dreaming about. He only prayed to any gods that were listening that Tomomasa would not bring it up later.

Yasuaki continued to dream of a pleasant moment with Eisen, it was not what everyone thought it could be. "Let us make snow angels…"

Numerous sounds of disbelief sounded from most of the others. Eisen smiled and chuckled sweetly. "Not to worry, Yasuaki, I'll make sure that is one dream that will come true."

The End

Note-Despite Yasuaki appearing the age of 21 years old, in truth he is really only two years old as he was created two years prior to the storyline. It wasn't revealed in the anime, but it was revealed in the manga.


End file.
